West Side Preservation Summit to be held on June 5th

The Cincinnati Preservation Association (CPA) will host the first-ever West Side Preservation Summit on Saturday, June 5 from 10am to 4pm.  The summit is being sponsored by Comey & Shepherd Realtors, City Office and will gather West Side stakeholders to discuss the use of historic preservation as a revitalization tool among other things.

"Often under-appreciated and overlooked, the West Side has strong neighborhoods, wonderful building stock, wooded hillsides and river views," described Margo Warminski, CPA Preservation Director.  "Unfortunately some West Side neighborhoods are struggling with population loss, disinvestment, vacant buildings, foreclosures and demolitions."

Preservationists cite many historic assets in Cincinnati's western neighborhoods including the Anderson Ferry, Knox Hill Historic District, Incline District in Price Hill, Sayler Park Indian Statue, and the Boldface Park Shelterhouse among others.  Another prominent historic landmark in the area - the James N. Gamble House in Westwood - has recently been embroiled in controversy as preservationists and community leaders battle to have the structure saved from the wrecking ball.

"If you look at vacant and condemned buildings list, or you look at the public nuisance hearings you'll see West Side building after West Side building," Warminski said.  "Buildings are being knocked down left and right on the west side of the city, and many of them could probably be reused and many probably even have historical importance.  We need to look at how to solve this issue."

Facing the aforementioned challenges in a tough economy while preserving the best of Cincinnati's western neighborhoods is what event organizers hope will be the focus of the summit.  Summit discussions will serve as the beginning of an ongoing dialogue about West Side preservation issues.

According to event organizers, the daylong summit will focus morning sessions on the challenges facing West Side communities, while the afternoon sessions will look at potential solutions.  The following six topics will provide the basis of these discussions:

• Code Enforcement, Hazard Abatement & Demolitions
• Balancing Preservation & Demolition in Westwood
• Historic designation: Perception vs. Reality
• Learnign From Other Cities: Best Practices for Preservation Legislation
• Jewels of the West Side: Lesser-Known Historic Treasures
• A Plan for Preservation & Receivership

Several speakers have been confirmed to help lead these discussions including representatives from the City of Cincinnati's Community Development Department, the Metropolitan Sewer District and several community leaders.

"This is not intended to be something where we just talk to people.  We want to hear the concerns from people on the West Side so that we can hopefully address them going forward," Warminski said.

The West Side Preservation Summit is free to anyone interested, but space is limited at the Westwood Branch Library (map).  As a result, reservations are required and can be made by contacting CPA at (513) 721-4506 or [email protected].  Those unable to attend will be able to receive a summary of the presentations after the event by contacting CPA.

Writer: Randy A. Simes
Photography by Tiffani Fisher
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